If your business is ready for bigger contracts but something is still in the way, this is for you.
Twelve months. Real corporate buyers in the room. A clear path from where your business is today to a corporate purchase order. No cost to participate.
- 1Take the Gate QuizTwo minutes, right here. Find out which of the five gates you are standing at.
- 2Complete the applicationAbout ten minutes. Your quiz results and contact details carry over automatically.
Applications close Friday, October 23.
Step 1 of 2 · Gate Quiz
Which gate are you standing at?
Ten questions, two per gate, about two minutes. You get your gate profile, then continue straight to the application.
There are five gates between your business and a corporate purchase order.
Most small businesses learn them the slow way, one lost bid at a time. Runway Wisconsin teaches them in order, with the procurement, finance, and legal professionals who actually guard them, and ends with you across the table from corporate buyers.
Not theory. Deliverables built on your business.
Every session is led by a subject matter expert. Every week produces something tangible, and every deliverable is scored by a real buyer.
- A Corporate-Ready Scorecard, scored by buyers at the start and the finish
- A capability statement approved by a corporate reviewer, and supplier portal registrations completed in session
- A 48-Hour Quote Kit and a practice RFP response scored by procurement professionals
- A compliance file and contract checklist reviewed by legal and accounting professionals
- A capital readiness plan, a working sales pipeline, and a set of AI tools you keep using
- Eight hours of one-on-one mentoring from executives who have sat on the buying side
- At least two curated meetings with corporate buyers at Buyer Match Day
- A Boarding Pass that tells every buyer which gates you have cleared, and a profile on the Bench, NCMSDC's buyer-facing supplier directory
- Cost
- 100% free. No program fee.
- Launch
- Monday, November 9, 2026, 5:30 to 9:00 PM, in person in Milwaukee. Dinner included.
- Sprint
- Ten weekly virtual sessions, Tuesdays 6:00 to 7:30 PM, starting November 17. One deliverable each week.
- Cruise
- Monthly evening sessions March through October 2027, including Buyer Match Day in September.
- Capstone
- Monday, November 8, 2027, in person.
- Who
- Wisconsin small businesses, with a focus on minority-owned firms, that sell what corporations buy. Twenty seats.
- Deadline
- Priority applications close Friday, October 23, 2026. Notifications October 30.
How selection works
We are looking for businesses that sell something our member corporations buy, are ready to commit to the calendar, and want to grow into corporate accounts. The Diagnostic is not a test; it tells us where to start with you.
Step 2 of 2 · Application
Apply for Cohort 1
About ten minutes. Everything you enter goes to NCMSDC and the selection panel only. You will get a confirmation email, and every applicant hears back by October 30.
Have you taken the Gate Quiz? It is Step 1 and takes two minutes. Your gate profile attaches to your application and fills in your contact details for you.
Take the Gate Quiz firstYour Gate Quiz result is attached: Your name, business, and email are already filled in below.
